this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. seeking solutions — nato defence ministers meet to discuss ukraine, for the first time since the russia invasion. i think ithink our i think our presence here sends a signal to the world that we remain united in our support of ukraine. under curfew and under attack — smoke billowing above the ukrainian capital this morning, as residents are told not to be out in public. 20,000 thousand people flee the beseiged city of mariupol — while 400 are described as "like hostages" inside a hospital, with staff and patients, trapped under russian bombardment borisjohnson is in the middle east — meeting leaders of the uae and saudi arabia —

hoping to secure energy supplies amid the ukraine crisis. and we have a special report from afghanistan, where malnutrition has become more widespread, since the takeover by the taliban last year. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. nato defence ministers have gathered to discuss their response to russia's invasion of ukraine. it's their first such meeting since the invasion began three weeks ago. this is the scene live in brussels where secretary generaljens stoltenberg is due to speak shortly. while nato has made clear it does not want to get directly involved in a conflict with russia,

individual allies have already been providing ukraine with weapons and the meeting will discuss what more they can do.it comes as more explosions have been heard in western areas of kyiv, where residents are under a curfew that lasts through to thursday morning. in southern ukraine, evacuation buses and aid trucks remain blocked from entering the besieged city of mariupol. on tuesday, hundreds of cars were able to leave the port city along a humanitarian corridor. the ukrainian president, volodymyr zelensky, has said negotiations with russia are beginning to "sound more realistic" with further talks due to take place over a video link on wednesday. mr zelensky is due to address the us congress in the coming hours. with the latest, here'sjon kay. "get out," she screams. "we didn't invite you here." an elderly woman confronts russian

soldiers on the streets of ukraine. it is now three weeks since the invasion. this morning, more shelling on the outskirts of kyiv. the capital city is deserted. a 35—hour curfew is under way. people have been told to shelter. the mayor says it is going to be a dangerous and difficult moment. but do these pictures offer some hope? negotiators from both sides are still talking. last night, one ukrainian diplomat said there was room for compromise. and the country's president was also more positive. volodymyr zelensky said the situation remained difficult, but the positions of the two sides were now sounding more realistic. he said time was needed to reach a breakthrough. but these people are not hanging around for a peace deal. last night, 20,000 of them finally managed to escape

from the besieged port of mariupol. the city they have left behind is still being pounded day after day. and the deputy mayor claims russian troops are holding 400 people like hostages inside a hospital, including doctors and patients. as borisjohnson arrived in the middle east for talks, this morning, the ministry of defence said there were signs the russian advance was stalling. the most important thing is that putin's aggression, his absolutely barbaric attacks on ukraine should stop and they should not be seen to have succeeded. and they will not succeed. ukraine's prime minister claims his country has already suffered £400 billion worth of damage. he said when the war is over, russia must pay.

once again this morning, sirens have been heard in towns and cities across ukraine. another day of clearing up. another day of wondering when and how this will end. jon kay, bbc news. the ministry of defence, here in the uk has published its latest intelligence about the conflict in ukraine. it says: russian forces are struggling to overcome the challenges posed by ukraine's terrain. the statement also says — the destruction of bridges by ukrainian forces, has stalled the advance of russian troops. it adds that russia has continued to fail to gain control of the air. and it concludes that the tactics of ukrainian forces have exploited russia's �*lack of manoeuvre�* and inflicted heavy losses on the invading forces. nato�*s defence ministers are meet in brussels to discuss what further support they can offer

ukraine — having already made clear the alliance will not engage in a direct conflict with russia. it's the first such meeting since the invasion began twenty days ago. international sanctions on russia continue to grow — the prime ministers of poland, the czech republic and slovenia all travelled to kyiv to hold direct talks with president zelensky. he has now said his country should recognise that it won'tjoin the military alliance of nato. 0ur diplomatic correspondent james landale has more. gunfire ukrainian troops north west of kyiv, slowing the advance of russian forces, hoping to save their capital and, perhaps, focus minds in moscow. officials from both sides continue to talk, looking for a negotiated settlement. the kremlin said the discussions were positive. but neither side says where the progress is being made. today, though, ukraine's

president addressed a gathering of northern european leaders in london and dropped a hint of what might be part of any future negotiated settlement. translation: ukraine is not a member of nato. we have heard for years that the doors were open, but we also heard that we could notjoin. it is a truth and it must be recognised. that hint of giving up the idea ofjoining nato may be seen by some as a concession to this man, russia's foreign minister who, today, as he met his iranian counterpart, set out some of moscow's demands. translation: the neutral military status of ukraine, security guarantees for all participants, the demilitarisation of ukraine so that no threats to the russian federation ever come from its territory. the european leaders, hosted by boris johnson, were not, however, in london to talk about possible peace deals, but how

to bolster their defences in case the war spreads and increase their support for ukraine. this is quite unbelievable that is happening now in our continent. and we need to make sure that we build the strongest, widest possible coalition to ensure that vladimir putin does not succeed and we wean ourselves off russian hydrocarbons. western leaders know that a negotiated settlement will become possible only if vladimir putin sees no alternative. and that is why they are determined to keep up the pressure on moscow, militarily, economically and diplomatically. and what better way to do that than this? three nato prime ministers from poland, slovenia and the czech republic visiting war—torn kyiv, a show of solidarity and russia's failure to seize the capital. you are fighting for your lives, for your families, for your country, for freedom.

but we know you are fighting also for our lives and for our freedom. we know it. and probably the main goal of our visit, our main message of our mission is to say you are not alone. 0ur countries stand with you, europe stands with your country. there were more economic sanctions for russia too. the eu banning the export of luxury goods and britain imposing asset freezes and travel bans on 370 russians, including a defence minister, a former prime minister and oligarchs and their families along with many allies of vladimir putin. but all the pressure, all the diplomacy has yet to hold the russian advance and the devastation of ukraine's cities continues.

james landale, bbc news. we are expecting to hear from the... the defence ministers of nato are gathered in brussels and they are discussing what further support nato can offer to ukraine. as long as jens stoltenberg starts to speak we will go live to that. in the meantime, we go to kyiv. we have been hearing about what is happening diplomatically, about the pressure on russia. what is the latest situation on the ground they are ukraine? ~ ., , situation on the ground they are ukraine? ~ . , , ukraine? well, we have 'ust seen smoke move * ukraine? well, we have 'ust seen smoke move up h ukraine? well, we have 'ust seen smoke move up from _ ukraine? well, we havejust seen smoke move up from the - smoke move up from the north—westerly direction of the city. we have been told by the ukrainian government that they are still waiting to hear from the russian side on whether more people

can be evacuated today along the humanitarian corridors, these temporary ceasefires that have seen the first few thousand people from mariupol to the south—east get evacuated. these fourth round of peace negotiations are continuing into its third day between ukrainian and russian negotiators. from the kyiv site, there is optimism. they are claiming there are contradictions as the project but there could be room for compromise. use the language used by president zelensky over the past 24 hours, he has said ukrainians need to realise that the doors to nato are closed. we have heard more prominent officials in the country propose alternative alliances including one with the uk. they said they want to have a partnership with a nuclear superpower because in their words, organisations like nato were created

after the second world war and do not have much influence now. there is a meeting of defence ministers at nato happening today, we have seen in the past few days the expanding war within ukraine come within ten miles of the border of poland, the doorstep to nato and the european union, which is probably why it is making western political leaders set “p making western political leaders set up and come up with more planning in the event that a missile could stray outside of ukraine, they have been clear, one single russian boot across the border will be an act of war. before the war began, sorry, we have to leave you, we are going to hear from jens stoltenberg at nato.

good morning. welcome to all of you. welcome to this meeting of nato defence ministers. we meet today to address russia's attack on ukraine and to prepare for a nato summit next week. we are joined by our ukrainian colleague as well as by our other partners, georgia, finland, sweden and the european union. the world is condemning this senseless war. nato allies and partners are imposing unprecedented sanctions on russia and we are united in our support to ukraine. for many years, nato allies have trained tens of thousands of

ukrainian troops and provided large quantities of critical equipment to help ukraine uphold its right to self—defence. since the start of the russian invasion, allies have significantly stepped up our support for the brave ukrainian people, and armed forces. with military equipment, humanitarian and financial assistance. and giving shelter to millions of refugees. today, it is even more important that we all support ukraine. this ends the public part of our meeting and i thank the media forjoining us and i thank the media forjoining us and we will continue the meeting shortly. thank you so much. that was a brief statement from the secretary general of nato as the

defence ministers go in to discuss what more support nato can offer to ukraine and we will bring you more on that a bit later. to summarise what he was saying, he was talking about the assistance that nato has already given to ukraine in terms of military support, training for ukrainian troops and military supplies and he underlined how important the united defence has been of ukraine. this comes after the ukrainian president said it is time now for ukraine to accept that ukraine will not be able to become a member of nato. membership by ukraine was one of the key demands, at least ruling it out, was one of the key demands of russia prior to its invasion. that is a significant diplomatic concession there. that

was the public part of the meeting by the nato defence ministers and they now go in for private discussions. we can go live to brussels. what more might nato be able to offer? i brussels. what more might nato be able to offer?— able to offer? i think it is a continuation _ able to offer? i think it is a continuation of _ able to offer? i think it is a continuation of what - able to offer? i think it is a continuation of what they l able to offer? i think it is a - continuation of what they have been doing already, what they are talking about, supplying more weapons. it is not nato that supplies the weapons, it is members of nato and not all of them who are supplying the weapons. 0thers them who are supplying the weapons. others are supplying humanitarian aid to ukraine. we havejust heard from the estonian defence minister who said their latest shipment of weapons got through to ukraine yesterday. ben wallace, the british defence secretary said the supplies are continuing from many different directions and getting through to the front line. we know that most of

those weapons, anti—tank missiles, anti—aircraft, short—range anti aircraft missiles, one of the things that has been called on from ukraine's president is a no—fly zone. that is not on the agenda. there are individuals who may think thatis there are individuals who may think that is a good idea, the estonian defence minister thinks it should be discussed. the states do not have fast aircraft which could enforce a no—fly zone. they need countries like the us, the uk to do that and it is not on the agenda because of the concern that it could bring nato or nato members into direct conflict with russia and an escalation in this war. they want to show support for ukraine, they will hear from the ukraine defence minister who is joining the conference virtually, but there is a limit to how much nato will do.— nato will do. there has been criticism for _

nato will do. there has been criticism for nato _ nato will do. there has been criticism for nato about - nato will do. there has been | criticism for nato about being nato will do. there has been - criticism for nato about being clear about the limits of what it will do and it has been said that by making that so obvious, the message has been to russia that russia can continue to carry out its action in ukraine effectively with impunity in terms of direct engagement militarily from nato.- terms of direct engagement militarily from nato. terms of direct engagement militaril from nato. �* . . ., militarily from nato. blanc, we have technical issues. _ militarily from nato. blanc, we have technical issues. i— militarily from nato. blanc, we have technical issues. i think _ militarily from nato. blanc, we have technical issues. i think we - militarily from nato. blanc, we have technical issues. i think we can - technical issues. i think we can hearfrom him now. no, no, technical issues, we can see him but we cannot hear him. we issues, we can see him but we cannot hear him. ~ ., . ~ issues, we can see him but we cannot hear him. ~ ., ., hear him. we will go back a little bit later. that _ hear him. we will go back a little bit later. that meeting _ hear him. we will go back a little bit later. that meeting in - hear him. we will go back a little bit later. that meeting in nato i bit later. that meeting in nato getting under way and we will keep you up—to—date if we get any word from brussels. the us presidentjoe biden has signed a spending bill that includes over thirteen billion dollars in security assistance to ukraine. mr biden said president

putin's attack on ukraine had united people across the world, and in america — including both democrats and republicans in congress. mr biden will head to europe next week to take part in an emergency nato summit. 0ur north america correspondent david willis says this amount of money is significant. the white house has been fairly vague about how that will break down, what that money will actually be spent on. but there are reports here in the us media that about $1 billion, just over, of that money will be spent on military assistance, in particular anti aircraft missiles. that is confirming the suspicions of president zelensky and others that the next round, if you like, in this battle will be from the skies. joe biden is expected to give full details of where the $14 billion is being spent in a speech tomorrow, butjust before he does so, a joint session of congress will hear from president zelensky who is expected

and previously has called for a no—fly zone over ukraine and for the provision of anti aircraft missiles from poland. those are two issues that the white house has nixed on the belief that it could lead to an escalation of the conflict, leading it into a world war iii. but there is a lot of support for president zelensky amongst members of congress and some support, i might add, for sending those polish mig fighters to help ukraine and its battle against russia. so what happens tomorrow then, an address by president zelensky could lead to further pressure being put on president biden to take particular action as regards to this conflict. there is news on the chernobyl power plant, some concern after it was

disconnected from the national electricity grid. the international atomic authority has informed that the nuclear power plants has been reconnected to the national electricity grid and no longer relies on emergency diesel generators for power. the state russian forces took control of the power plant on the 24th of february but the ukrainian staff have managed day—to—day operations at the site where various radioactive management waste facilities are located and they have been concerned that the site's 2ii they have been concerned that the site's 211 technical personnel and guards had not been able to rotate since the day before the russian forces entered the area, in effect living there for the past three weeks. the director general says they are working under enormous stress without the necessary rest. there are obviously considerable pressures on those who are tasked with keeping the power plant safe.

some positive news in that it has been reconnected to the national electricity grid. russian forces are continuing their assault on the southern port of mariupol from the east and the west. soldiers have occupied the main hospital, where hundreds of medical staff members and patients remain trapped in the basement. the deputy mayor claims 400 people are being held "like hostages" 20,000 people managed to leave on tuesday in convoys involving hundreds of cars, but tens of thousands remain. buses and aid trucks have been waiting to get into mariupol to begin a bigger evacuation, but are being blocked by russian forces. some of the people who have been able to flee mariupol have been speaking about their experiences. on monday, a group of residents whose homes had been destroyed took it upon themselves to drive out of the city in a convoy of around 160 private cars. among them was svitlana, who yesterday arrived in the city of zaporizhia — around 140 miles west of mariupol. she told the bbc world servce about her perilous journey:

translation: we did not feel we had any safety whatsoever because we did not know whose territory we were driving through, but we decided if the worst came to the worst, we would go back and we even drove through areas which were mined. we could only depend upon ourselves. the uk prime minister boris johnson is in the united arab emirates for talks on global energy supplies. he will then travel to saudi arabia. he has described both countries as "key international partners" in the effort to wean the world off russian oil and gas. mrjohnson hopes to persuade oil producers to increase their production, but he said he was also keen for them to continue their investment in renewable energy in britain. we'rejoined now by our chief political correspondent adam fleming. we'rejoined now by our chief political correspondent adam fleming.

tell us more about the mention. initially, it was to get those two oil producing companies to produce more oil but their rhetoric has shifted and it is getting to invest in prod —— projects in the uk. the realisation by the uk government that these two countries are part of the opec cartel and they have a long—term policy about how much oil to produce and weigh in and sweet talking by a prime minister will not make that much difference. he will come back with deals and investment rather than metaphorical barrels of oil. he has had to defend going there because his backbenchers are concerned about the human rights record, and the labour leader said it an example of the prime minister going cap in hand from one dictator, president putin, to another, which meant they may deliver as soon as next week. the developments at moment are the situation in iran and

whether the british captive nazarene mac is going to be released imminently. he said he did not want to say much about the negotiations with iran but they are moving forward, he gave a hint of how they were going and he would talk down to the wire. i was not aware there was a wire imminent but it does suggest we may be reaching a denouement they are. the word the officials are that they are pessimistic and gloomy than they are pessimistic and gloomy than the prime minister may have sounded. thank you very much. we are going to show you the latest pictures from mariupol where there is a lot of focus as people try to leave the besieged city. there is hope that potentially there may be humanitarian corridors today but that has proved difficult to guarantee. we will keep you updated

on that and all the other developments around ukraine on bbc news. hello. for friday and the weak and plenty of fine weather, lots of sunshine, we are not there yet, we have a weather system today and another one tomorrow with rain. northern ireland this morning, clearing from scotland, for wales and england spreading east as the day goes on. two weather systems combining to give rain. it looks wet this afternoon into this evening especially in eastern england, some heavy rain and persistent. going from northern ireland this morning, fine weather to come here, a chance of a shower, sunny spells in western scotland, may be a shower, rain clears from eastern scotland, the cloud will linger on for most of the day. brightening up in wales and

western england as the rain clears, central and eastern england with cloud and outbreaks of rain and heavier parts across east anglia and south—east england. temperatures, 13 or 14 celsius. a shower, rain clears from eastern scotland, the cloud will linger on for most of the day. brightening up in wales and western england as the rain clears, central and eastern england with cloud and outbreaks of rain and heavier parts across east anglia and south—east england. temperatures, 13 or 14 celsius. the wet evening, the rain clearing, clear skies elsewhere, temperatures will go down, a widespread or slight frost tomorrow morning, you may have to scrape the ice of vehicles. tomorrow, another weather system moving on, it will target the northern half of the uk, weekly into northern ireland. here it comes, rain turning patchy, pushing eastwards, and a wintry nature over the hills of scotland. some sleet and snow on the hills as that moves in. northern ireland, in a few bands of rain moving and, behind it brightening up in the afternoon with sunny spells, rain moving across scotland and northern england, north wales and north midlands later on, the east and

south of england it will stay dry with sunny spells and temperatures up with sunny spells and temperatures up to 13 celsius. ten to 12 degrees in scotland and northern ireland. some fog on friday morning, thence in places, is like frost, plenty of sunshine, a few showers in the northern and western isles, wales and england in the sunshine for friday temperatures are rising, overnight chilly, but plenty of sunshine over the weekend, a state easterly wind will make it feel cooler along eastern coast.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. seeking solutions — nato defence ministers meet to discuss ukraine for the first time since the russia invasion. your presence here sends a signal to the world that we remain united in our support for ukraine. under a curfew and under attack — smoke billowing above the ukrainian capital this morning, as residents are told not to be out in public. 20,000 people flee the beseiged city of mariupol — but at a hospital there, russian troops hold 400 people, including staff and patients, like hostages. borisjohnson is in the middle east —

meeting leaders of the uae and saudi arabia — hoping to secure energy supplies amid the ukraine crisis. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. nato defence ministers have gathered in brussels to discuss their response to russia's invasion of ukraine. it's their first such meeting since the invasion began three weeks ago. while nato has made clear it does not want to get directly involved in a conflict with russia, individual allies have already been providing ukraine with weapons and the meeting will discuss what more they can do. it comes as more explosions have been heard in western areas of kyiv, where residents are under a curfew

that lasts through to thursday morning. in southern ukraine, evacuation buses and aid trucks remain blocked from entering the besieged city of mariupol. on tuesday, hundreds of cars were able to leave the port city along a humanitarian corridor. the ukrainian president, volodymyr zelenskyy, has said negotiations with russia are beginning to "sound more realistic" with further talks due to take place over a video link on wednesday. mr zelenskyy is due to address the us congress in the coming hours. vika kaminsta fled kyiv and is now in utrecht, in the netherlands. on herjourney through poland, she volunteered as a translator and interpreter for the thousands of people passing through. shejoins me now. welcome. thank you forjoining us. tell us more about how you got to poland in the first place and what yourjourney poland in the first place and what your journey was like. poland in the first place and what yourjourney was like.— poland in the first place and what yourjourney was like. well, hello, everyone- —

yourjourney was like. well, hello, everyone- i— yourjourney was like. well, hello, everyone- i was — yourjourney was like. well, hello, everyone. i was in _ yourjourney was like. well, hello, everyone. i was in the _ yourjourney was like. well, hello, everyone. i was in the region - yourjourney was like. well, hello, | everyone. i was in the region more to the east of kyiv in ukraine, so, from that place around 80 kilometres to the front with people fighting and after, with some of my friends we found transport how we could leave that place but at least after i think one week we stayed at that village, me and my sister so we found transport, and after we go back to kyiv i stayed on the train to lviv, but it was like some extra train, because i couldn't find the information desk so i was lucky. my sister stayed for one day. after that i went to lviv, and the same day i found the people who helped me to go to the border. i was there one

hour after midnight and waiting from 1am until 1700, 1800 pm. you hour after midnight and waiting from 1am until1700, 1800 pm.— 1am until1700, 1800 pm. you had a lone , 1am until1700, 1800 pm. you had a long. difficult _ 1am until1700, 1800 pm. you had a long, difficult journey. _ 1am until1700, 1800 pm. you had a long, difficult journey. and - 1am until1700, 1800 pm. you had a long, difficult journey. and then - long, difficultjourney. and then when you got to poland you decided to start working to help others. i got to the border about 5pm, 6pm and the same day, i was already in krakow, ifound some people in the centre where polish people help ukrainians, so i stayed in krakow for two days, and after, i had a message telling me information that some people from uk would like to help, and i decided tojoin, to be like a translator, and help people to understand each other. what like a translator, and help people to understand each other. what was it like going — to understand each other. what was it like going into _ to understand each other. what was it like going into that _ to understand each other. what was it like going into that environment l it like going into that environment where there was so much kindness and

support, from what you had left behind and the fear is that you had? can you repeat this question? what can you repeat this question? what was it like going — can you repeat this question? what was it like going into _ can you repeat this question? what was it like going into that environment in poland when there was so much care and support, when you had come from such a difficult position as you travel through ukraine? i position as you travel through ukraine? ., , position as you travel through ukraine? , ,, ukraine? i was impressed about it because it was _ ukraine? i was impressed about it because it was the _ ukraine? i was impressed about it because it was the most _ ukraine? i was impressed about it because it was the most difficult l because it was the most difficult time in my life and, how people can support, i was really impressed. some people help me to get out from ukraine so it would be good to help other people, especially if i have the possibility to translate any information, why not? it was not easy, but i understand why people should know how to be supportive, and they really need to help each other, especially at such a time like this. do other, especially at such a time like this. , ., ., other, especially at such a time like this. i. ., , ., , other, especially at such a time like this. ., , ., , ., like this. do you have plans now, what are you _ like this. do you have plans now, what are you going _ like this. do you have plans now, what are you going to _ like this. do you have plans now,

what are you going to do? - like this. do you have plans now, what are you going to do? i - like this. do you have plans now, what are you going to do? i will l what are you going to do? i will sta in what are you going to do? i will stay in utrecht, _ what are you going to do? i will stay in utrecht, because - what are you going to do? i will stay in utrecht, because we - what are you going to do? iii-i" ii. stay in utrecht, because we help people already on the border, we decided that we will help people in which city they will visit for example, and exactly who needs to go to europe, like germany, belgium, so we took these people and we drop off all of them, and i am now in utrecht, but my plan is to go to uk. now i wait for information, i already have people who can help me with that. so i hope, in the end of the week, next week, i can lead to the week, next week, i can lead to the uk already.— the week, next week, i can lead to the uk alread . ., ., , ., ., ., the uk already. how have you managed to establish that _ the uk already. how have you managed to establish that plan _ the uk already. how have you managed to establish that plan 's _ the uk already. how have you managed to establish that plan 's i _ the uk already. how have you managed to establish that plan 's i have - the uk already. how have you managed to establish that plan 's i have a - to establish that plan 's i have a famil , to establish that plan 's i have a family, sponsor, _ to establish that plan 's i have a family, sponsor, who _ to establish that plan 's i have a family, sponsor, who would - to establish that plan 's i have aj family, sponsor, who would like to establish that plan 's i have a i family, sponsor, who would like to help me with that so, just waiting how we can prepare all applications, find a job, of course, and

how we can prepare all applications, find ajob, of course, and begin how we can prepare all applications, find a job, of course, and begin to starta find a job, of course, and begin to start a new life, there. that find ajob, of course, and begin to start a new life, there.— start a new life, there. that is, obviously _ start a new life, there. that is, obviously there _ start a new life, there. that is, obviously there are _ start a new life, there. that is, obviously there are so - start a new life, there. that is, obviously there are so many i start a new life, there. that is, - obviously there are so many people in this country who are volunteering their homes to take in ukrainian refugees, and in order to match people up, how have you found that process, because as you say, it sounds like you have found somewhere to live and also a job, which is absolutely brilliant. i to live and also a job, which is absolutely brilliant.— absolutely brilliant. i 'ust saw yesterday. * absolutely brilliant. i 'ust saw yesterday, like h absolutely brilliant. i 'ust saw yesterday, like i _ absolutely brilliant. i 'ust saw yesterday, like i had _ absolutely brilliant. ijust saw yesterday, like i had some i absolutely brilliant. ijust saw - yesterday, like i had some friends in uk, so they are, like, proposing to help and that is why i am ok like that, how i know i will get there. it was not like i planned on something like this. ijust knew something like this. ijust knew some people who wanted to help ukrainians and other people, too, and took more people. i hope it will help. and in uk at the same place,

would be a lot of ukrainians i would like to help them to because not everyone can speak english, so i could be, like, useful, iwill try to do my best. could be, like, useful, iwill try to do my best-— could be, like, useful, iwill try to do my best. sounds like you are lookin: to do my best. sounds like you are looking positively _ to do my best. sounds like you are looking positively to _ to do my best. sounds like you are looking positively to the _ to do my best. sounds like you are looking positively to the future. . to do my best. sounds like you are looking positively to the future. asj looking positively to the future. as you describe there, a new start. how do you feel about the thought of going back to ukraine? do you have those around that? i going back to ukraine? do you have those around that?— those around that? i 'ust try to stay oelm. * those around that? i 'ust try to stay oatm. amt _ those around that? i 'ust try to stay calm, and try _ those around that? i 'ust try to stay calm, and try to]— those around that? i just try to i stay calm, and try to understand those around that? i just try to - stay calm, and try to understand why people would not be there fast, after such a war, we need some time to rebuild the cities because a lot of cities and buildings have been destroyed in ukraine, so i willjust try to understand, that it willjust need some time and after some time we all can get back and it will be much better. we all can get back and it will be much better-— we all can get back and it will be much better. you mentioned your sister who — much better. you mentioned your sister who has _ much better. you mentioned your sister who has travelled _

much better. you mentioned your sister who has travelled with - much better. you mentioned your sister who has travelled with you. j sister who has travelled with you. have you loved ones left behind as well? ,, , , ., ., ., well? she is staying now in poland, she already — well? she is staying now in poland, she already found _ well? she is staying now in poland, she already found a _ well? she is staying now in poland, she already found a job, _ well? she is staying now in poland, she already found a job, she - well? she is staying now in poland, she already found a job, she has i she already found a job, she has friends there, so i don't worry about her any more.— friends there, so i don't worry about her any more. thank you very much, about her any more. thank you very much. wishing _ about her any more. thank you very much, wishing you _ about her any more. thank you very much, wishing you all _ about her any more. thank you very much, wishing you all the _ about her any more. thank you very much, wishing you all the very i about her any more. thank you very | much, wishing you all the very best. thank you so much.— much, wishing you all the very best. thank you so much. some news from boris thank you so much. some news from iztoris johnson — thank you so much. some news from boris johnson on _ thank you so much. some news from boris johnson on that _ thank you so much. some news from boris johnson on that visit _ thank you so much. some news from boris johnson on that visit to - thank you so much. some news from boris johnson on that visit to the i borisjohnson on that visit to the uae, and heading off to saudi arabia later. he has arrived in abu dhabi, so that is the latest on his visit. he is there to discuss potentially increasing oil supplies from saudi arabia and the uae, to try to reduce oil prices, but we will be hearing from our political, spending around the difficulties about them being

members of opec which limits all supplies so it is not clear how much progress will be made on that front. some breaking news. we hear that the international committee of the red cross president has arrived in ukraine. he is in kyiv on a planned five—day visit to ukraine, so we have just had that news coming through as well. he is calling for greater humanitarian access and greater humanitarian access and greater protection of civilians. and there are a number of areas that are effectively encircled by russian troops. it is difficult for people to get out, particularly mariupol is in focus today, with many trying to get out. many have made it but there are many more trapped inside, and there are 400 people currently inside a hospital who had been described as being effectively held hostage because they are unable to leave there. the president of the

international committee of the red cross is now in kyiv, calling for greater humanitarian access to get supplies in and greater protection of civilians. and these are pictures from mariupol. in the west of ukraine — every day since the war began between 30,000 and 40,000 internally displaced people arrive in lviv. in response more than 500 schools and theatres have opened their doors, offering refuge to those who have lost everything. bbc ukraine's zhanna bezcuk went to visit one such school in the centre of the city. these teachers work day and night to accommodate people fleeing war. people in the western ukrainian in the city of lviv do all they can to feed the people this warm soup and pasta after they escaped from war. but lviv is going to the limits of its own resources and is struggling to cope alone. translation: for the moment,

we have enough resources. but we have them only for two weeks. afterwards, the lviv region might face a collapse. then we will need to ask for help with food. shelves of local shops are already empty. this school became a temporary home for women and children from danger zones. beds replace school desks in the primary school. its corridors are silent. that where i met 45—year—old lila, who escaped what she calls eight days of hell. relentless russian bombardments of kharkiv. she fled with her two children, and old parents. she showed me her accommodation. the school cloakroom has been turned into a makeshift bedroom forfive people and a dog. here, they are safe but tension and fear are still on theirfaces. translation: our houses are destroyed. neighbourhood in kharkiv is burned to the ground. it was the world in which we

lived, we didn't have any other world. we worked, studied and raised our children in that world. what can i feel? pain, disillusion, loss. clean blankets and warm beds are much appreciated help from lviv. in a matter of one day, lila's family lost everything. translation: the only ukrainian city we could flee to was lviv. it receives refugees from all over ukraine now but it is already overwhelmed. there are not enough essential medicines here. her three—year—old daughter was given toys and children's books but it's impossible to replace all they lost from home with aid. so they will continue theirjourney out of ukraine to build a new life in safety, allowing other displaced families to take their place in lviv. zhanna bezpiatchuk, bbc news, lviv.

and unhappiness about nato members on its doorstep has been one of the primary concerns in the run—up to the war. if finland joins nato, its 1,300km border with russia will become nato's eastern front. we've heard about the history of war between the two countries, but how do people living on this potential new frontier feel, and what's been the impact of putin's aggression on previously close relationships between finns and russians who live here? sima kotecha has been to assess the mood along the border of the frontier nation. a thousand or so miles from kyiv, imatra might look like a different world, but the repercussions of the war there are only too real for those living here. with russia just minutes away, the prospect of this becoming nato's new frontier suddenly feels closer than ever before. i hope that nato

will be our solution. it's not a total cure, but it's some kind of, some kind of security anyway. the last time russia invaded, finnish soldiers blew up this tank right by the border. more than 70 years on, and the two countries have been working closely together, but the conflict means that relationship is once again changing. here is an illustration of how close we are to russia. if you look behind me, you can see that watchtower in the distance. well, that's it. now, this border, which was closed during the pandemic, was expected to be open again. now freight is still going through, but it's closed to tourists from both sides and those finns that were regularly going over to russia to get their cheap petrol, well, they're not able to do that either. so those important links between both sides have now been severely severed

as a result of the war. the frozen terrain isn't all the countries have in common. they share strong cultural and economic ties. and in the region's biggest city, there are at least 2000 russian speakers. the community is well integrated, but we're told the war has changed attitudes, with some saying they've experienced an anti—russian sentiment. there are a small minority who is now getting more loud, and they are saying that russian should go there from where they came from. politicians are taking steps to maintain harmony by holding meetings for russians to speak openly about their feelings and experiences. i and some people in the city, we wanted to meet with people with russian background, to just to have a talk

and establish a connection to avoid any possible trouble in the future. peace and tranquility isn't hard to find here, and it's hoped that continues as it has done for decades, as the war rages on. sima kotecha, bbc news, finland. as gas prices continue soaring around the world to record highs, there's renewed interest in finding different sources of energy to reduce our dependence on oil from other countries. in the first scheme of its kind in the world, a former coal town on scotland's east coast is bringing wind—made hydrogen gas into hundreds of homes. rick kelsey has the story. the windy east coast of scotland, and a town living right next door to one of the biggest wind turbines in europe. half a century ago, coal was king here. industry spewing tonnes of dirty

fossil fuels into the atmosphere. well, no more. renewable power is taking over. coming at a time when energy prices are rocketing because of global demand and rusiia is at war with ukraine. the energy produced from this massive windpower here in fife will be converted into hydrogen gas. and in a world first, hundreds of homesjust across from here will be heated not on a mixture of gases, but on 100% hydrogen. so how long have you lived here for? i have lived here for a long time. how exciting is it that it is going to power your home potentially? it is unbelievable that something so close, just there, is going to provide energy for all our homes here. fitness instructor caroline who lives beside the turbine has signed up for the scheme. caroline, did you ever think, looking out of your front window, that wind turbine would be directly powering and heating your home? i never thought that would ever be the case. it is super exciting. it is something that is literally

a few hundred metres away from where i live. it is going to provide power and energy to all the houses down here. energy prices just now are on the forefront of everybody�*s minds. it is really, really scary, so, hopefully, we can get a more sustainable and a more stable energy source through hydrogen energy, and, of course, it is good for the environment as well. at caroline's fitness club, danielle who is a mum of two young children, is excited to be involved. so why is it so important for a place like buckhaven and methil that it gets a project like this? i suppose we've got the wind. we've got the wind so why not? we need things like that here. we have got the weather for it so i suppose we can use it. 7000 domestic consumers on canvey island will- benefit under this plan. the last big change to gas in our homes was in the 1960s. here, those who signed up got free appliances.

the same is happening in levenmouth now. the scheme creating the hydrogen village is costing £28 million. doing this on a grander scale would require enormous amounts of clean hydrogen production. in the longer term, could that lead to lower bills? in the long term, yes. actually, scotland is blessed, depending on which way you look at it, with a lot of wind and a lot of rain. and also natural resources. it has got all the ingredients to become a hydrogen exporter as well. there is more than enough hydrogen to supply its people. we are going to have to change the cooker as well. so we are changing this over to hydrogen gas. so how soon could we see what is happening in fife become a reality more widely across the uk? catriona is funded to research hydrogen and thinks it could be a decade before low—carbon hydrogen costs the same as fossil fuels. there is no denying we have got a very big challenge ahead of us, but the current generation is very minimal, globally, only 4%

of our hydrogen is generated from green hydrogen. so there is a lot to do. we need to do more. but we are not there yet? we are not quite there yet, no. but here in fife, hydrogen homes are no longer an idea, as we've been reporting, a huge number of people have been internally displaced within ukraine but many others have left the country altogether. they have fled near and far with no idea when — or if — they'll return. tim allman reports on one young girl and her mother who have sought refuge in france. first day in a new school can be daunting at the best of times. but camilla has just escaped from a country at war. along with her mum, elena, she travelled five days from the ukrainian city of irpin

to this town in south—west france. "i'm happy to see my daughter running, playing, going to school with a smile," she says. "it is the greatest happiness for me." camilla and her mum arejust two of the roughly three million people who have left ukraine. so many of them children. a terrible trauma for a little girl who was not yet four, but she seems to be coping. translation: for the moment things are going well. we have to give her time to get her bearings. there is still the language barrier. we learned a few words in ukrainian for the essentials. day one of a new life and a little colouring in. so things can't be too bad. tim allman, bbc news. before russia invaded ukraine, president volodymyr zelenskyy was derided as the actor comedian turned unlikely politician. well, not any more. now he's seen by many as a wartime hero and a cultural icon.

shelley phelps has more on the man himself. we are all here, our soldiers are here, the citizens of our country are here. practically every day, a new video pops up. president zelenskyy in his office. president zelenskyy with his staff. president zelenskyy appealing to the russian people. he rallies his troops and evokes ordinary ukrainians and even may be people around the globe a spirit of defiance which has arguably helped blunt the russian advance. so why does he appeal to people so much? american director david dodson worked on ten films with the actor turned politician. his biggest market for his movies was russia. he was a beloved comedy star in russia. i directed two of his movies in russia and he was never thought of as being

an enemy or an antagonist. comparisons are often drawn with afghan president ashraf ghani who fled campbell as the taliban closed in. public opinion is firmly behind president zelenskyy, according to opinion polls. it is president zelenskyy, according to opinion polls-— opinion polls. it is up from 23, in less than a _ opinion polls. it is up from 23, in less than a month, _ opinion polls. it is up from 23, in less than a month, it _ opinion polls. it is up from 23, in less than a month, it is - opinion polls. it is up from 23, in less than a month, it is pretty i less than a month, it is pretty good. specifically my mother keeps mentioning that he stayed, that one thing she keeps mentioning, that he is here. president zelensky�*s rise was unexpected and unpredictable, as are so many aspects of this war. what is certain is that volodymyr zelenskyy is set to remain centrestage, as the story in ukraine unfolds. shelley phelps, bbc news.

millions have fled ukraine since the start of the war. the majority of them crossing the war —— crossing them crossing the war —— crossing the border into poland, 1.9 million people have fled across the border into poland since the war began. we can take you now to one of the border crossings, where, every day, thousands of ukrainians are going over into poland, and many of them, of course, will remain in poland, and many go beyond their two other countries, with other nations of course welcoming ukrainian citizens as they flee the war in that country. and today there are diplomatic moves with nato meeting. we will keep you updated on bbc news.

hello, for friday and the weekend, plenty of fine weather around with lots of sunshine. we are not there yet. we have a weather system today and in fact another one coming in tomorrow with some rain. slowly clearing from scotland today, but for wales and england that rain spreading east as a day goes on. it is two where the system is combining to give the rain today. it looks wet this afternoon into the evening in eastern england with some quite heavy rain, quite persistent. gone from northern ireland this morning, some fine weather to come, just a chance of a shower. sunny spells developing in western scotland in the afternoon. rain clearing from eastern scotland, cloud lingering for much of the day. brightening up slowly through wales in western

england as the rain clears, with central and eastern england scene cloud and outbreaks of rain and some heavier burst across east anglia and south—east england. highs of around 14 celsius. a wet evening here, the rain slowly clearing. clearer skies elsewhere will allow temperatures to dip and there will be a widespread, slight frost going into tomorrow morning. you may have to scrape the ice of the cars in places. tomorrow, we have another weather system moving in targeting mostly the northern half of the uk. it will move quite quickly into northern ireland. rain turning increasingly showery, as it pushes its way slowly eastwards, and a wintry nature to this over the hills of scotland, so a bit of sleet and snow for the hills as that moves in. northern ireland, there will be few bands of rain moving in. behind it, brightening up into the afternoon with sunny spells. showery rain moving across scotland into parts of northern england, north wales and

the midlands whereas across the east and south—east of england it will be dry with sunny spells, and temperatures again around 13 celsius in england, 10—12 in scotland and northern ireland. some folk for wales and england to start friday with a slight frost. plenty of sunshine to come. showers in the northern and western isles, and initially for wales and england in the sunshine, temperatures hitting upwards, the warmth becoming more widespread over the weekend, nikes are still fairly chilly, plenty of sunshine out there, and increasingly stiff easterly wind making it feel cooler along east facing coast. —— coasts.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. seeking solutions — nato defence ministers meet to discuss ukraine, for the first time since the russia invasion. the world is condemning this senseless war and we are united in our support to ukraine. under curfew and under attack — smoke billowing above the ukrainian capital this morning, as residents are told not to be out in public. twenty thousand people flee the beseiged city of mariupol — while 400 are described as "like hostages" inside a hospital, with staff and patients, trapped under russian bombardment borisjohnson is in the middle east — meeting leaders of the uae and saudi arabia — hoping to secure energy supplies amid the ukraine crisis.